Aug 3, 2010

From the barn to the WebBy Laura OleniaczENCToday.com

The signs once posted on the fence beside the yellow tobacco barn on N.C. 55 where the cousins Netta Broughton and Judy Humphries started an art and gift store about three years ago have been removed, and the barn is now emptied of their arts and crafts wares.

Broughton and Humphries, who played together as children and are now grandmothers and business partners, closed the Pamlico Barn Co. by Jan. 1 because of low traffic and sales volumes. The Sun Journal told the story of their business in an article that ran on July 1 of 2009.

The cousins have since moved their storefront into digital space by launching a Web site goinggreenartdesigns.com, where they focus on selling their own art.

“While we had volumes going past us, they all had destinations. They were all going 60 mph,” Humphries said. “We wanted our own storefront, but we wanted it to go from physical to electronic.”

The two had sold other artists’ jewelry, pottery and other work at Pamlico Barn Co. in addition to their art. But it was their own work that kept the store afloat, Humphries said.

Their art, which they call “Garden Fancies,” is created from secondhand china bought from charity organizations. They arrange the plates, bowls, saucers, teacups, and kettles by color, pattern and design into garden art, table toppers or bird feeders. They sell the fancies from their Web site as well as kits that guide customers through the steps of how to make them.

The site launched in March, Humphries said. They keyed in on the “green” aspect of the business since they use secondhand items to create their art.

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